100 Words of Writing Advice from Brianna Avenia-Tapper, Profiles Editor

- Words matter. Story matters. Your story matters. Tell yourself this exactly 8,214 times a day.
- Be willing to write poorly. Expect to write poorly.
- When you think you have a decent draft, take a break. Then, go back and try to cut the word count by half. Even if you don’t keep the cuts, this helps you figure out what the piece is really about.
- Keep a supply of peanut butter cups on hand at all times.
- Eat the peanut butter cups.
- Refuse to feel bad about it (the writing and the peanut butter cups).
~Brianna Avenia-Tapper, Profiles Editor

Brianna Avenia-Tapper is a writer and mom passionate about bringing caregiving-focused art to a broad audience. She has published personal essays in MuthaMagazine and Pigeon Pages, and is currently seeking representation for her hybrid memoir, Deciduata. Formerly a teacher in the US, Russia, and Kazakhstan, she lives in NYC with her family.